Why a Twin Bed Made So Much More Sense in My Adult Apartment

My bedroom is roughly 140 square feet; it is not exactly spacious. Before moving in, I had my roommate at the time, an architect, send me a floor plan so that I could mock up the room, from what furniture I wanted to where it would go. I knew that for the room to feel livable, let alone spacious, I would have to downsize my bed. So I left my full-size mattress behind and took up the hunt for a twin bed, starting, as we all do, online. An image would turn up from time to time—small bed tucked chicly in one corner of a room, suggesting monastic impulses and a sense of serenity—but Pinterest is, for the most part, a dreamscape, the digital turf of kings and queens. I did not have an expanse to decorate, I had a corner to consider.

Eventually, I wound my way into Room & Board’s Chelsea showroom, where my eyes alighted on the Anders bed. Sleek and understated (“inspired by George Nakashima,” the accompanying copy read), it looked like the perfect fit for my space, both physically and aesthetically. The twin size would allow for one corner of the room to be a dedicated sleep nook and the rest of the room to be “converted” into a home office. I lay a vintage Moroccan rug from the Scandi-chic masters at TRNK underneath the frame to create a visual boundary, a proverbial line in the sand that says “the bed stops here.” While this placement admittedly hides most of the rug, that touch of pattern and texture still makes a sizable impact in such a small space. I hung art around the bed at varying heights to further create a sense of place.

Choosing a twin bed freed up space for a home office.

Photo: Emily Johnston

Dressing a bed can be a challenge when you have a twin. I avoided loud colors and patterns for fear of turning my chic single into a Kiddy Korner™; AREA makes great simple cotton twin sheeting (and if you drop by the downtown NYC store, you can pick up swatches for color matching), as do Matteo and, on the more budget-friendly end, Muji. Layering would be necessary; I stopped into ABC Home multiple times to get a sense of how I might incorporate color through textiles and accessories.

A little peek of rug pattern goes a long way.

Photo: Emily Johnston

While I assume most shoppers pushing 30 and looking for a twin bed are avowed minimalists, or at least Kondo-appreciative, a small bed doesn’t have to dictate your style. Yes, you might have more options if no-frills is your favorite look—the barely-there Floyd frame comes in a twin, and Ikea, of course, has quite a few basic options the Internet might thrill to—but Crate & Barrel makes a handsome twin that gives off distinct cabin vibes, and One Kings Lane sells many upholstered options. At the end of the day, “adult” is a state of mind and “twin” is just a word; they don’t have to be strange bedfellows if you play by your own rules. Though it helps if you’re single.

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